


How Much Do I Miss You? Let Me Count the Days

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: The Hamilton Family Album [61]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Camping, College, Family, Fluff, M/M, New York City, Work, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 14:57:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17624546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: AJ and Eli are not very good at the whole being apart from each other thing, and as time goes on it only gets worse.





	How Much Do I Miss You? Let Me Count the Days

**Author's Note:**

> Please vote on our poll that closes on February 6th [here](https://linkto.run/p/7YUIXJES)

It felt really nice to be back in the City. Not that AJ didn’t love visiting home, but like his older siblings, and like his father, he felt a certain connection to New York. And admittedly this time around he had an ulterior motive behind the excitement of returning to the city of his childhood. After seeing Eli pretty much every day at his food truck and the time their had spent in close proximity on the vacation in Colorado with AJ’s family, shifting to having contact only by phone had been unreasonably difficult. But he was certain of where he'd be able to find him today, and that was the only thing that mattered in AJ's eyes. 

First he’d had to help make sure Jamie was settled in, as per their mother’s orders, so it was a bit after Eli’s usual truck time. He hastily walked across campus following the very familiar route. AJ silently cursed the fact that Jamie’s dorm was almost on the other side of campus from the place where all the food trucks parked. But soon the smells from the vast array of trucks hit his nose and he knew he was close. Finally, the trucks came into sight and AJ’s heart began to beat quickly in his chest, in a way that had nothing to do with his speed walking. 

He quickly spotted Eli’s in the lineup and couldn’t stop himself from running like an overexcited puppy. When he got there, however, the truck window was closed. Knocking on the door didn’t help and just when AJ was about to lose hope, there cane a voice from behind him. 

“Hey there, handsome, looking for someone?”

He spun around, a grin on his face even before he saw Eli standing there.

“Oh god I missed you so much,” AJ flung his arms around Eli.

“I can tell,” Eli chuckled, trying to make sure that the force of AJ’s hug didn’t make him drop the box he was holding from the gourmet cupcake truck a couple spots down. 

“Why did you have to be so far away?” AJ sighed.

“We saw each other two months ago,” Eli said. 

“The longest two months of my life,” replied AJ. 

Eli roller his eyes fondly, “Now that I’ve met your family, I know exactly where your dramatic side came from.”

“Normally I would be annoyed by that remark but right now I don’t care,” AJ said.

 

“Wanna go back to your dorm room and cuddle?” Eli suggested, “I have cupcakes.”

 

“Please,” AJ groaned.

—————

Every since they had first moved in together, AJ had gotten used to seeing Eli waiting for him when he got home. When Eli had closing shift at the restaurant he waited tables for, he didn’t leave until after AJ had gotten home. Even during culinary school and the occasional long days it contained, Eli was generally waiting or not far behind. But now he was graduated and working at the same Brooklyn restaurant where he used to wait tables and AJ was a junior partner at Burr’s firm, slowly making a name for himself. Eli had been heading out the door when AJ woke up that morning and he was still not home now. 

AJ glanced down at his watch as he went about unwinding from his day in the office, unlike his father he tried not to bring his work home with him. Sometimes it was unavoidable, but today AJ had been deliberate in his decision. He wanted to hear all about Eli’s first day as a certified chef. 

He was certain that Eli would be home any minute now, so he sat down on the couch with the latest book he was reading.

But any minute became several minutes and then tens of minutes. So AJ gave in to the grittiness in his eyes and the sore back from sitting at a desk poring over papers all day. He took out his contacts and changed into pajamas to continue reading in their bed instead. After awhile AJ's eyes began to get heavy and he yawned, certain he'd read the last line at least ten times and still not sure exactly what it said.

Just when he was about to give in to his exhaustion, AJ heard the front door open and close in quick succession. Soon enough, Eli appeared in the bedroom doorway. His curls were messy, eyes bleary, and his chef jacked splattered with small dried droplets of various sauces. 

“I missed you,” Eli groaned. 

“Are you talking to me or the bed?” AJ smithed. 

"Does it matter?" Eli grumbled, "Can't I miss both?"

AJ made a small noise in sympathy and patted the bed beside him. 

“Why don’t you get changed and come join me?” AJ offered. 

“I need to take a shower,” sighed Eli, “my dried sweat is covered with dried sweat.”

“Then maybe I can join you,” said AJ, “wash your hair?”

It was kind of a guilty pleasure of AJ’s, playing with Eli’s hair whenever it wasn’t kept coiffed with product. 

"That might be nice," Eli looked up at him.

“I’ll use that fancy aromatherapy shampoo you bought that one time,” AJ decided, referring to a product that was a bit of an impulse buy and expensive enough that Eli didn’t use it that often in an effort to make it last.

"The one that smells like a forest?" Eli began to smile. 

"That's the one," AJ confirmed.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me,” Eli said, his smile widening when AJ practically leapt out of bed. 

AJ grabbed a large fluffy towel and went to start the shower.

 

—————

AJ leaned against the metal railing near baggage claim, there was so much he was dying to ask Eli. Sure, if he hadn’t been so busy with his own work he’d have found a way to go with his to LA, but that had not been the case. So he would have to be content with Eli’s storytelling skills, which were admittedly quite good. It also frustrated him that it would be several months before he could finally see the results of Eli’s trip. 

Being a lawyer he’d scanned over every inch of Eli’s contract and was well aware he couldn’t tell him the results of the episode. And while he wanted to know that, AJ was actually more interested in hearing all about his favorite chef, after Eli of course: Alton Brown. It had been AJ who’d convinced Eli he really should do the show in the first place, because now seemed the perfect time.

His restaurant was doing fairly well and the occasional wedding or fancy Bar Mitzvah or fundraising he was hired to cook for just helped. So Eli had sent in an application video and when he was invited on the program he’d left his sous chef in charge of the kitchen and flown to LA. At this point, AJ couldn't wait to have him home and let out a deep sigh of frustration. The flight had already been delayed twice, once while they were already in the air and AJ had been waiting at the airport for longer than he liked. He was half tempted to slip away for five minutes to get cinnamon roll at the nearby Cinnabon. Then finally he saw a familiar face coming towards him with a familiar, if tired, smile.

"Eli over here!" AJ hollered loudly.

The smile only grew and Eli picked up his pace, his small suitcase rolling swiftly in his wake. When they finally met up AJ threw his arms around him, 

“Don’t go to LA without me ever again, I missed you too much.”

“I missed you too, motek,” Eli replied, kissing him tenderly, “I wish you could have been there.”

"Or next time you could go for something more local like Chopped," AJ suggested after they broke apart.

“That’s far too mainstream,” Eli scoffed, “nobody even tries to make you mess up.”

"Someone clearly had a good time," AJ grinned as the two of them went to exit the airport.

“Doing the show was great,” Eli agreed, “but also at the end when the whole thing was done all four of us got to hang out with Alton.”

“On a first-name basis, are we?” AJ teased. 

Eli rolled his eyes, “Jealous much?”

 

“Just a little bit,” AJ pouted, “I mean, you got to meet Alton Brown!”

“Yeah,” Eli’s tone was wistful, “that was pretty cool.”

 

“Is he really nice?” AJ asked, “I know he acts all mischievous on the show, but I’ve seen Good Eats.”

 

Eli nodded, “Yeah, he’s a really cool guy.”

 

“I knew it,” AJ grinned. 

“Now let’s go home, I smell like airplane,” Eli decided.

 

—————

AJ didn’t even bother going home when he got back to the City, he knew that Eli wouldn’t be there at this time of day. He was headed straight for Eli’s restaurant, at this time he was certain that the rush would be coming to an end and over by the time he arrived. AJ had only made the mistake of coming in at dinner rush to see Eli once. He would definitely never do that again. He was certain that at this time of day Eli would be more than happy to see him and give him free dessert.

Especially since AJ had been in DC for a conference for two weeks. And while it had been nice to see the city again and visit with old friends from high school, AJ had missed Eli terribly. The two them were not very fond of being apart from each other for extended amounts of time. Angie always teased him for it, but AJ didn’t even mind; they’d been together for so long it almost felt weird being apart.

 

When AJ stepped into the restaurant, he saw that it was busy but definitely not over-crowded. He felt very disheveled next to the people dressed up for their dates with his airplane hair and mildly wrinkled suit. The Maitre D’, Sandra, recognized him immediately, of course. 

“Oh good, you’re back,” she said with a relieved smile, “the boss has been driving them crazy back there the whole time you’ve been gone.”

“I’ll go put them out of their misery,” AJ told her with a shake of his head, “Maybe I can convince him to leave early tonight.”

“Good luck with that,” Sandra snorted.

 

“Ye of little faith,” AJ grinned.

AJ left his suitcase with Ryan, the college student who manned the coat room most nights, and made his way back towards the kitchen. Sliding through the swinging door he spotted Eli by the sink washing his hands, his curly hair damp with sweat and clinging to his forehead. AJ took a few long moments to admire the view, the muscles of Eli’s shoulders and back through his chef jacket and how strikingly blue his eyes were when his face was pink with the heat of the kitchen.

“Hey, handsome,” AJ made his way towards Eli.

“Not funny, Colin,” Eli said without turning around, “I told you the first time.”

“Colin?” AJ questioned, amused, “Should I be worried?”

At that, Eli did finally turn around and his eyes widened. 

“You’re back!”

“Duh” AJ chuckled.

 

Usually Eli was careful not to hug AJ when he was all sweaty like this, but it seemed like he threw caution out the window and practically pounced on him. 

“I missed you so much,” Eli told him, “How dare you be away for so long.”

“I wish you’d been there, it was non stop boring lawyer things,” AJ sighed.

“Aw my poor baby,” Eli cooed, “Well you’re back now and that’s what matters.”

“I’m glad you think so,” AJ smiled.

From the back kitchen the sound of a bell could be heard, signaling that there was another order waiting to be made. Eli sighed and started to pull away, but AJ held him tight. 

“Why don’t we make it an early night?” AJ offered, “Get something to eat that you don’t have to make, help each other unwind from our busy days.”

Eli seemed to mull the idea over for awhile, longer than AJ would have liked.

“Come on,” AJ urged when Eli had been silent for too long, “Me and the bed have a date and you’re invited for a ménage a trois.”

Eli let out a snort or laughter, “You’re such a dork.”

"Isn't that why you love me?" AJ rest his head on Eli's shoulder. 

“No, it’s because of your nice ass,” replied Eli. 

“Which is also included in this bargain,” said AJ. 

"Oh good," Eli laughed, "because otherwise we don't have a deal."

“And since it is?” AJ prompted. 

“I suppose I have no choice but to come home with you,” Eli completed. 

"Alright let's get your coat get out of here," AJ smiled.

—————

Maddy felt like she had barely closed her eyes before the counselors were gently waking them all up. It had been the last day of camp and they had spent all of the previous day packing their things and doing final activities and games. Then most of them had stayed up all night, not just with camp activities but also with each other, giggling together in their pile of sleeping bags under the stars. Slowly sitting up she could see the sunrise over the lake in the distance. Even though it was summer, at this time of day there was still a mild chill in the air and she shivered slightly, longing for the campfire of the night before.

Maddy stretched and yawned and slowly set about rolling up her sleeping bag. The last few days had been a total blur in her mind. There had just been so much stuff going on as the camp wound to a close for another season. While it was true that she’d been nervous at first to be away from home for such a long time, these weeks had been some of the most fun she’d ever had and she couldn’t wait to come back next year. It was also true that she kind of missed her dads and was looking forward to seeing them again as well. The fact that she knew they’d be here soon made her smile.

After rolling up her sleeping bag and and tying it she attached it to her bag. The sun was slowly rising higher and higher into the sky washing the camp in a soft yellow glow. Around her everyone else was doing the same, speaking in hushed voices as if to not break the spell of sunrise. It was a weird feeling, after spending eight weeks away from home and outside of the city. Now it was all coming to a close.

Not that it was going to be right away, though. Her dads had decided to take the opportunity to go on a little road trip to Niagara Falls, which would be a nice little extra bit of nature. They’d gone upstate before to Albany, but never right up towards Canada. She’d read somewhere that there was a boat trip that took you so close to the Falls that you got wet, which she really wanted to do.

“First thing I’m doing when I get home is going to Chipotle,” Maddy’s bunkmate Dani declared.

Dani has waxed poetic about Chipotle basically for the entire two months. Maddy had actually never been to one and she was kind afraid of what her Aba would do if she asked. One of the pitfalls of having a chef for a parent. 

To be honest if there was any food she missed in particular it was her Aba's pancakes. Out of anything that he would make that was Maddy's favorite.

 

"Is it weird that I miss name brand cereal?" Hannah sighed pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail.

“What, you don’t like the Cocoa Puffed Cereal?” Maddy asked. 

“How about Frosted Toasted Oats with Marshmallows?” Dani added with a grin.

"No," Hannah frowned, "I just want the world’s biggest box of Froot Loops I can find."

Dani and Maddy shared a look at then chorused in unison, “Fruit Rings!”

Hannah sighed and rolled her eyes, "I give up."

With some prodding from the counselors, the girls joined the other campers in getting the campfire site cleaned up for the last time. And all too soon it was time to say goodbye to her new camp friends, most of which were having their large duffles loaded onto buses to take them back to wherever they called home. Maddy waved goodbye to Dani and Hannah, promises to keep in touch still ringing in her head, and then settled in to wait with the considerably smaller group of people who were being picked up from camp.

Some kids recognized their parents cars on sight, but considering that her dads didn’t own a car she had no idea what to look for. She need not have worried, and if she had stopped to think about it she might have realized, because rather than just calling her from the car her dads both got out and practically tackled her into a family group hug. 

“We missed you, Brachaleh,” Eli cooed. 

The use of her Hebrew name, and the diminutive form of it at that, made Maddy blush. 

“Aba,” she protested, but it wasn’t actually serious.

"No," Eli shook his head, "you've gone for eight weeks, you're not allowed to complain."

“Give him this,” AJ told her, “he’s been practically bouncing in his seat the whole way here.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t miss her just as much,” Eli scoffed. 

“Whatever,” AJ mumbled, but he did squeeze Maddy just a little bit tighter.

"You ready to hit the road?" Eli asked after finally letting go of her.

“Yeah,” Maddy said, trying futilely to lift her stuffed duffel bag, “I’m starving, can we stop for breakfast?”

“Of course we can,” AJ replied grabbing the bag and tossing it into the trunk with ease.

Maddy smiled, and looked back at the camp one last time. While she was sad that the summer was over, she was glad to be able to spend some time with her dads before going back to school.

As the car began to pull away, the radio playing quietly in the background, Maddy said softly, “I missed you guys too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please vote on our poll that closes on February 6th [here](https://linkto.run/p/7YUIXJES)


End file.
